Louis van
Gaal defended Marouane Fellaini after the United midfielder appeared to
spit at Sergio Aguero during the Manchester derby.
In
a typically heated clash between two of English football's most bitter
rivals, Fellaini became irate with Manchester City striker Aguero in an
incident towards the end of the first half.
The
Argentine tumbled to the floor after the Belgian kicked his standing
leg and the hosts appealed for a penalty, which was not given.
Manchester United midfielder Marouane
Fellaini appears to spit at Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero as he
kneeled on the ground
The Belgian can clearly be seen directing phlegm at Aguero's head as he launched a tirade at the Argentine
Fellaini shouts at Aguero when the Argentine takes a tumble after colliding with the Belgian
Fellaini reacts after missing a great chance to draw United level in the second-half - he could only shoulder an effort wide
Aguero converts Gael Clichy's low
cross from the left to give City all three points in front of their own
fans at the Etihad Stadium
Angel di Maria stands dejected as fellow Argentine Aguero celebrates scoring the winner in the derby on Sunday afternoon
Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Man City vs Man United
Click here for all the stats, heat maps and Sergio Aguero's goal graphic from the Etihad Stadium in our Match Zone.
Fellaini clearly did not feel it was a foul and he bent down to shout at his rival as he lay face down on the floor.
Some
spit appeared to exit the Belgian's mouth as he unleashed his tirade at
Aguero, but Van Gaal insists it was not intentional and seemed to
suggest Fellaini was not that type of player.
'The
TV has shown that he is shouting and sometimes when you shout there's a
little bit of saliva (that comes out) with it,' the United boss said.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said he was not aware of the alleged spitting incident after the game
'I don't think that he's a spitting figure.'
Van Gaal's opposite number Manuel Pellegrini said he was not aware of the incident.
Fellaini
played poorly at the Etihad Stadium, missing a good chance to snatch a
point for United in the second half when he shouldered the ball wide
when attempting a header.
Aguero,
on the other hand, impressed throughout and scored the winning goal in
the 63rd minute when he converted Gael Clichy's cross.
The
FA will wait to see if Oliver mentions the incident in his report
before deciding whether to take any action against Fellaini.
United defender Chris Smalling (right) blocks the kick of Joe Hart to pick up his first of his two bookings in the game
Smalling earns a second yellow card just seven minutes after his first with a wild lunge on James Milner
Referee Michael Oliver shows Smalling a red card as the home fans at the Etihad celebrate the decision
Smalling is waved off by a section of City supporters as he makes his way down the tunnel
If
the alleged spit was not seen by the referee or any of his assistants,
the FA video review panel could take disciplinary action against the
Belgian if they think it was a deliberate act.
Van Gaal, however, was less than impressed with Chris Smalling, who he
branded 'stupid' for his sending off in the Manchester derby and said
the defender had apologised to team-mates.
Smalling
lunged in on James Milner to pick up a second yellow card from referee
Michael Oliver two minutes before half time, having been cautioned
earlier for blocking Joe Hart's kick.
It
greatly undermined his team's task at the Etihad Stadium with the score
0-0 and City eventually scored through Aguero to condemn United to a
third defeat of the season.
'In a derby you have to be careful - the second yellow card is a stupid yellow card,' said Van Gaal.
'The first I didn't see but as player with a yellow card you have to deal with that.
'You
cannot do what he has done with the second yellow card. That's not very
smart. He said (sorry) and is very humble. You can only accept it.
Nevertheless it is, in my opinion, not so smart.'
'As a player you have to control your aggression. I said that to the players.'
Pellegrini, on the other hand, was happy to see his team end their three-match winless run.
'I
am very pleased with the performance. It is always important to win a
derby, especially against this Manchester United team which is a great
team with great players,' Pellegrini said.
'We played really well all the match except the last 10 minutes with less intensity but I am really happy about the result.'
Pellegrini's only gripe was with referee Oliver, who waved away several penalty shouts.
The
most plausible appeal came in first half injury time when Rojo kicked
Toure as he was about to shoot from 10 yards following a masterful chip
by Aguero.
'It is unbelievable we didn't get a penalty (for the foul) against Yaya Toure,' Pellegrini added.
'It was not only a penalty but also a sending off because was the last man.
'There were two others against Sergio but we are not talking about that.'
The result will strengthen the argument of those who say City are now the best team in Manchester.
This was their fourth successive win against United. The last time that happened was 44 years ago.
Pellegrini's men now trail leaders Chelsea by six points.
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